Every so often I get a very specific craving for a rich, fudgy brownie topped with coffee ice cream. I’m not sure where this craving originated from, but I get it every couple of months like clockwork. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t think chocolate and coffee is an amazing combination?

So back in the day I would have totally hone to buy a box of brownie mix, because it’s the easiest option, right? Well when I started baking as a hobby, I decided to make from scratch brownies one day, and it is literally no more difficult than using a box. You probably have all of the ingredients sitting in a your pantry already too.

Then, I got into healthier, gluten free baking and discovered that healthy brownies are just as good (if not better) than traditional brownies. I adapted this recipe from The Healthy Maven, and I love it because it uses coconut flour!

One of the perks of coconut flour is that it is so much cheaper than almond flour, so any time I can use it instead, I love it. One thing you need to know when using coconut flour is that it absorbs A LOT of moisture, so coconut flour recipes will always have 2-3 additional eggs and less flour. You can’t do an even swap with other flours.

Luckily, a bag of coconut flour is only around 3 dollars, a price I love! Oh yeah, and it’s way lower in carbs than all purpose flours.

If you haven’t had avocado in brownies, it may seem weird, but it’s actually the perfect ingredient because it makes the brownies super moist and rich. And no, they won’t taste anything like avocados.

So blend all of your wet ingredients in a blender (or food processor)- the avocado, honey, applesauce, and vanilla. I use unsweetened applesauce because I don’t like a super sweet chocolate dessert, but if you prefer sweet, use sweetened applesauce. Pulse for a couple of minutes until you have a really smooth mixture with a mousse-like consistency. You may need to use a spatula to incorporate ingredients that have gotten stuck to the sides of the blender bowl.

Move the mixture to a bowl, and whisk in your 3 eggs until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine your flour, cocoa powder, salt, flax seed, and baking soda. Whisk to combine, and then add your dry ingredients to your wet. Stir but not too much! You never want to over mix a brownie batter. Only mix until there are no big pockets of flour.

Lastly, gently fold in your chocolate chips (and nuts if your the kind of person who likes nuts in brownies… not me!). Save some chocolate chips and nuts to sprinkle on top too! Transfer the batter to a prepared 8×8 pan either greased or lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 24-28 minutes. Allow to completely cool before cutting. I top mine with a little bit of course sea salt.

Now when you try these, you won’t even think about the avocado. You will only experience rich, moist, chocolatey goodness. And go ahead and top it with my Dairy Free Coffee Ice Cream (recipe coming soon!), and you’ll see why I get this craving!